Aereo set for Atlanta launch

Internet TV streaming service Aereo has named Atlanta as the third city to launch as part of the start-up’s 22-city expansion announced in January. Beginning June 17th, consumers in the Atlanta metropolitan region who have pre-registered with Aereo will receive a special invitation to join and be one of the first to experience Aereo’s technology.

After June 24th, Aereo will make membership available to all eligible consumers across the Atlanta designated market area (DMA), which includes more than 5.3 million consumers in 55 counties across Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. Atlanta joins Boston as the third city to launch following the initial New York launch in January.

“We’re grateful and humbled by the continued support we’ve received from consumers for our technology,” said Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia. “The response and enthusiasm from consumers across all of our expansion cities has been phenomenal. It’s clear that consumers want more choice and flexibility in how they watch television and they don’t want to be fenced into expensive, outdated technology. Aereo’s antenna/DVR technology brings the old-fashioned antenna into the 21st Century, providing consumers access to the over-the-air broadcast signals that belong to them. We’re thrilled to be coming to Atlanta and look forward to our launch in June.”

Despite Kanojia’s claims, US broadcasters are continuing to pursue court actions against the Barry Diller-backed service alleging copyright infringement.

Separately, Aereo has announced a new simplified pricing structure. Starting with a base plan of $8 per month, consumers will have access to Aereo’s cloud-based antenna/DVR technology and 20 hours of DVR storage. For an additional $4, consumers can upgrade their membership and receive 60 hours of DVR storage for a total of $12 per month. The streamlined pricing plan requires no long-term commitment and eliminates the previous annual and day plans.

Additionally, all new Aereo consumers will receive their first month of membership for free, with full-featured functionality, allowing consumers to record and watch live TV or save recordings for later viewing. There is no commitment and consumers may cancel at any time during the free month. The new pricing plan will go into effect on May 15.

“We looked at our data and it was clear, consumers want a more simple approach to pricing,” said Kanojia. “With our new pricing structure, consumers begin with one base plan and then have the ability to upgrade their membership to triple their DVR storage capacity. We want to make it simple and easy for consumers to access our technology and we believe this updated pricing plan accomplishes just that.”

The new pricing plan applies to new Aereo members. Current Aereo members will continue to enjoy the benefits of their original plans until the end of their current membership plan period. Current $12/month members will be automatically upgraded to 60 hours of DVR storage capacity.